Binder jet printed golf club components with lattice structures

ABSTRACT

Golf club components with complex structures such as lattice structures, beam structures, and complex surface-based structures, are described herein. A binder jet machine is used create complex structures within these golf club components to optimize weighting, sound, and performance of golf club heads. These components may be manufactured using a method that includes the steps of designing a golf club head component in CAD using optimization software, printing the component from a powdered material, and then removing excess powder from the component via port holes that extend into an external surface of the component and communicate with interior voids within the component.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 63/166,028, filed on Mar. 25, 2021, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods of manufacturing golf clubcomponents with complex structures that are difficult, impossible, orcost prohibitive to produce via prior art methods, such as cell-basedlattice patterns, beam-based structures, and complex surface-basedstructures, and golf club components, including golf club heads,manufactured to include such patterns and/or structures.

Description of the Related Art

Traditional manufacturing processes, which include investment casting,injection molding, compression molding, metal injection molding,forging, stamping, and forming place many constraints on the design ofgolf club heads and club head components, preventing manufacturers fromfully customizing and optimizing their products. Some of theseconstraints include draw direction, taper, minimum wall thickness, draftangles, minimum radii, and maximum feature height.

Typical additive manufacturing techniques, also known as 3D printing,can eliminate or reduce the severity of these constraints, but havetheir own drawbacks. For example, direct metal laser sintering (DMLS),direct metal laser melting (DMLM), and electron beam additivemanufacturing (EBAM) use controlled energy sources, including lasers andelectron beams in which intense, extremely localized heat is applied tometal powder to melt and/or sinter adjacent particles together. Thisintense heat tends to cause warping, porosity (which createsinconsistent density throughout the part), distortion, surface defects,and even cracking of the parts during the build process, even when thelaser intensity, focal length, and path speed are optimal.

Other characteristics of these techniques include using very smallmoving points to build parts, provide limited solutions for removingexcess powder from the finished part, require significantpost-processing to remove supports and support footprints on thesurface, and require a very specific grade of metal powder (e.g.,smaller than 40 microns, spherical particles) for high resolution and toguarantee an even sintering and a relatively smooth surface finish.These characteristics render these techniques suboptimal andcost-prohibitive for golf club manufacturing purposes.

The most significant drawback of the DMLS and DMLM techniques is theconstraint they place on overhang angle, examples of which are shown inFIG. 41. As golf club parts are built, structures created by the priorart additive manufacturing techniques described above are notself-supporting, with thin beads of sintered material tending to sag andfall if they are not supported by connections to the build plate oranother portion of the part that has already been fully sintered. As aresult, a typical design requirement is that all surfaces be no morethan 45° from the build axis, but the limit is typically 30-60°. Theonly alternative to the overhang angle design requirement is to addsupports to the structure to help prevent sagging during the buildprocess. The supports used for DMLS, DMLM, and EBAM are metal and aredirectly connected to the part, and are difficult to remove withoutnegatively affecting the surface finish on the part or creating a largeopening in the club head.

The overhang angle constraint dramatically limits the potential ofotherwise promising designs that are based on modern generative designtechniques like topology optimization. It also severely limits thetypes, orientations and sizes of cells that can be manufactured to formlattices. Even when a designer settles on a cell type that satisfies theoverhang constraint, there is often no room for further optimization ofthe lattice via purposeful warping, skewing or otherwise stretchingportions of the lattice to generate an improved design. It is alsoimpractical to use metal supports to make fine lattice structuresfeasible to manufacture. If a lattice were to include overhanging beamsand the beams are supported, the supports would be impossible to remove.

As described above, the prior does not provide additive manufacturingtechniques that are optimized for creation of golf club components.Therefore, there is a need for a 3D printing method that creates highquality, high performing golf club heads and also allows for the easyremoval of excess printing material.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a golfclub head or golf club component comprising cell-based lattice patterns,beam-based structures, and/or complex surface-based structures using abinder jet process. This method may comprise the use of optimizationsoftware to prepare at least one CAD model of a golf club headcomponent.

Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club componentcomprising a lattice structure. In some embodiments, the lattice supportstructure is a component that is affixed to a golf club head havinghigher density weighting in optimal positions for improved massproperties.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method of removingexcess powder from a printed golf club component, the method comprisingplacing one or more holes in one or more strategic locations on saidgolf club parts, shaking or otherwise removing powder from these holes,and then covering the holes on the golf club parts. In some embodiments,the golf club head component may comprise a plurality of interconnectedinterior voids, and at least one of the port holes may communicate withat least one of the plurality of interconnected interior voids.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising the stepsof using optimization software to prepare, modify, influence, or guidethe design of a golf club component comprising a plurality of port holesextending into an external surface of the golf club component, providinga powdered material, binder jetting said golf club component from thepowdered material based on the design, and removing excess powderedmaterial from the golf club component via the port holes. The step ofremoving excess powdered material from the golf club component via theport holes may comprise the steps of shaking the golf club component andpolishing the golf club component. In a further embodiment, the golfclub component may comprise a plurality of interconnected interiorvoids, and at least one of the port holes may communicate with at leastone of the plurality of interconnected interior voids. In anotherembodiment, the method may further comprise the step of covering up theport holes, which may include the step of permanently affixing (e.g.,via welding, bonding, brazing, etc.) the golf club component to anothergolf club part, such as a medallion. In any of the embodiments, the golfclub component may be a golf club head. Also in any of the embodiments,the step of utilizing optimization software may comprise capturing thedesign in a CAD model, and the step of binder jetting may utilize theCAD model.

Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head componentcomprising an external surface, a lattice structure comprising aplurality of voids, and a plurality of port holes extending into theexternal surface, wherein at least one of the plurality of port holescommunicates with at least one of the plurality of voids, and whereinthe lattice structure is at least partially bounded by the externalsurface. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of port holes maycommunicate with at least one of the plurality of voids. In otherembodiments, the lattice structure may be completely enclosed by theexternal surface.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club headcomprising a metal body comprising a front opening, a metal face insertcomprising a striking face, a rear face opposite the striking face, anedge surface extending between the striking face and the rear face, aplurality of port holes extending into the edge surface, and an internalstructure comprising a plurality of voids, and a weld seam disposedbetween the edge surface and the body, wherein at least one of theplurality of port holes communicates with at least one of the pluralityof voids, wherein the weld seam covers at least one of the plurality ofport holes, and wherein the face insert is disposed within the frontopening. In some embodiments, the weld seam may cover each of theplurality of port holes. In other embodiments, each of the plurality ofport holes may communicate with at least one of the plurality of voids.In still other embodiments, the body may comprise a lattice structure.In any of the embodiments, the face insert may comprise a variablethickness pattern.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method comprising thesteps of spreading layers of powdered material across a portion of abinder jet machine, depositing liquid binder on regions of each layer ofpowder so that the binder bonds adjacent particles of powdered materialtogether, repeating the spreading and depositing steps until a greenpart is formed, and sintering the green part to create a final part,wherein the final part is a golf club component. In a furtherembodiment, the method may comprise the step of removing binder via adebinding process, which step may occur prior to the sintering step. Ina further embodiment, the removing step and the sintering step may occurin the same furnace. In another, further embodiment, the method maycomprise the step of preparing design parameters for the golf clubcomponent using optimization software, which step may occur before allother steps of the method. In a further embodiment, the preparing stepmay comprise inputting into the optimization software at least oneparameter, which may be selected from the group consisting of individualplayer measurements, club head delivery data, impact location, andhistorical player data.

In any of the embodiments, the final part may be 5-50% or 10-25% smallerthan the green part, and the final part may have a material densitygreater than 90%. Also in any of the embodiments, the powdered materialmay be a non-metal material, which may be selected from the groupconsisting of nylon, polycarbonate, polyetherimide,polyetheretherketone, and polyetherketoneketone. In another embodiment,the final part may comprise a lattice structure and have a uniform finalmaterial density of at least 90%. In an alternative embodiment, thefinal part may comprise complex surface-based structures. In any of theembodiments, the golf club component may be a golf club head.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a golf club headcomprising a component with a lattice structure, wherein the latticestructure comprises a plurality of cells comprising geometricallydesigned-in voids, and wherein at least one of the voids is empty. Insome embodiments, the lattice structure may comprise a uniform finalmaterial density of at least 90%. In other embodiments, the latticestructure may comprise a plurality of non-ordered beams. In someembodiments, at least 25% of the cells of the plurality of cells mayhave identical dimensions. In other embodiments, at least 25% of thecells of the plurality of cells may have a characteristic different fromall other cells of the plurality of cells, which characteristic may beselected from the group consisting of size, aspect ratio, skew, and beamdiameter. In a further embodiment, a change rate between adjacent cellsmay be at least 10%.

In another embodiment, the lattice structure may comprise a plurality ofbeams, each of which may have a cross sectional shape selected from thegroup consisting of circular and elliptical and a diameter that isselected from the group consisting of constant and tapered. In stillother embodiments, the lattice structure may comprise a region with acharacteristic selected from the group consisting of warped, twisted,distorted, curved, and stretched. In still other embodiments, at leastone cell of the plurality of cells may have a volume that is three tofive times the equivalent diameter of the nearest beam. In any of theembodiments, the lattice structure may be composed of a non-metalmaterial. In an alternative embodiment, the lattice structure may becomposed of a metal alloy material selected from the group consisting ofaluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy, and stainless steel. Inany of the embodiments, the plurality of cells may comprise a series ofconnected tetrahedral cells, which may be non-ordered. In otherembodiments, the component may be selected from the group consisting ofa face insert, a sole insert, and a crown insert. In other embodiments,the component may have an effective density of 1-90%.

Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club componentcomprising complex surface-based structures. In some embodiments, thecomponent may be selected from the group consisting of a face insert, asole insert, and a crown insert. In other embodiments, the complexsurface-based structures may be selected from the group consisting ofTPMS and gyroids. In a further embodiment, the component may alsocomprise at least one lattice structure.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is a putter head comprisinga body composed of a first material having a first density, the bodycomprising a face portion, a top portion, and a sole portion with a solerecess, a sole insert composed of a second material having a seconddensity, and at least one weight composed of a third material having athird density, wherein the second density is less than the firstdensity, wherein the third density is greater than the first density,wherein the sole insert comprises at least one of a lattice structureand a complex surface-based structure, and wherein the at least oneweight is affixed to the sole portion.

In some embodiments, the lattice structure may comprise a plurality ofbeams, each of which may have a cross sectional shape selected from thegroup consisting of circular and elliptical, and a diameter selectedfrom the group consisting of constant and tapered. In other embodiments,each of the sole insert and the at least one weight insert may bedisposed within the sole recess. In any of the embodiments, the soleinsert may be composed of a non-metal material, and in a furtherembodiment, the non-metal material may include reinforcing fibers. In afurther embodiment, the putter head may include a face insert, which maybe permanently affixed within a recess in the face portion. In any ofthe embodiments, the third material may comprise tungsten. In otherembodiments, the sole insert may be bonded within the sole recess, andmay only partially fill the sole recess.

Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising abody comprising a face portion, an upper portion, and a sole portiondefining an interior cavity, and a structure comprising at least one ofa lattice structure and a complex surface-based structure, wherein thebody is composed of a first material having a first density, wherein thestructure is entirely contained within the interior cavity, wherein atleast one surface of the structure is curved, and wherein the structureconnects to an interior surface of the sole portion. In someembodiments, the structure may be composed of a second material having asecond density that is different from the first density. In otherembodiments, the structure may be integrally formed with the body. Inanother embodiment, the structure may comprise a lattice structure,which may comprise a plurality of beams, each of which may have a crosssectional shape selected from the group consisting of circular andelliptical, and a diameter selected from the group consisting ofconstant and tapered.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is an iron club headcomprising a body comprising a striking face, a top rail, a soleportion, and a rear cavity, and an insert comprising at least one of alattice structure and a complex surface-based structure, wherein theinsert is disposed within and fills the rear cavity. In someembodiments, the insert may comprise a lattice structure, which maycomprise a plurality of cells comprising geometrically designed-invoids, and at least one of the voids may be empty.

Having briefly described the present invention, the above and furtherobjects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by thoseskilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description ofthe invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process flow chart illustrating a binder jetting process.

FIG. 2 is an image of an exemplary binder jet machine.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a uniform lattice pattern.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan, 40° filtered from XY plane view of the latticepattern shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.5.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a twisted lattice pattern.

FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.7.

FIG. 9 is a top perspective, 40° filtered from XY plane view of thelattice pattern shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a variable density lattice pattern.

FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.10.

FIG. 12 is a top plan, 40° filtered from XY plane view of the latticepattern shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.12.

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of a non-ordered collection of beams andtetrahedral cell lattice pattern.

FIG. 15 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.14.

FIG. 16 is a top plan, 40° filtered from XY plane view of the latticepattern shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.16.

FIG. 18 is top plan view of a conformal, spherical top lattice pattern.

FIG. 19 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.18.

FIG. 20 is a top plan, 40° filtered from XY plane view of the latticepattern shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a side perspective view of the lattice pattern shown in FIG.20.

FIG. 22 is a top plan view of a unit cell of a lattice.

FIG. 23 is a side perspective view of the unit cell shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a sole perspective view of a putter head with a sole puckformed from a lattice.

FIG. 25 is a sole plan view of the putter head shown in FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the putter head shown in FIG. 25taken along lines 26-26.

FIG. 27 is a sole plan view of another embodiment of a putter head witha sole puck formed from a lattice.

FIG. 28 is a sole plan view of another embodiment of a putter head witha sole puck formed from a lattice.

FIG. 29 is a sole perspective view of another embodiment of a putterhead with a sole puck formed from a lattice.

FIG. 30 is a side perspective view of an iron head with a rear insertformed from a lattice.

FIG. 31 is a rear perspective view of the iron head shown in FIG. 30.

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view of the iron head shown in FIG. 31taken along lines 32-32.

FIG. 33 is a top elevational view of a driver head with a latticeinsert.

FIG. 34 is a side perspective view of the driver head shown in FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of the driver head shown in FIG. 33taken along lines 35-35.

FIG. 36 is cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a driver headwith a different lattice insert.

FIG. 37 is a side plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 36.

FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 36taken along lines 38-38.

FIG. 39 is a rear perspective view of a face insert comprising alattice.

FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view of the face insert shown in FIG. 39taken along lines 40-40.

FIG. 41 is a drawing of a build plate with beams having differentoverhang angles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to improved methods of printing golfclub components and golf club heads, and particularly the use of abinder jet machine to create complicated support structures from variousmaterials that improve the support, mass distribution, and acoustics ofthe golf club heads, while allowing for the easy removal of unusedpowder.

Binder Jet Process

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the binder jet process 10 includes afirst step 11 of spreading layers of powder 30 evenly across the buildplate 22 of a binder jet machine 20; this step can be performed manuallyor with a re-coater or roller device 25. This occurs in the build box 21portion of the binder jet machine 20, where a build plate 22 lowers aseach layer of powder 30 is applied. In a second step 12, a printer head24 deposits liquid binder 35 on the appropriate regions for each layerof powder 30, leaving unbound powder 32 within the build box 21. In athird step 13, the binder bonds adjacent powder particles together. In afourth step 14, the first and second steps 11, 12 are repeated as manytimes as desired by the manufacturer to form a green (unfinished) part40 with an intended geometry.

In an optional fifth step 15, a portion of the binder 35 is removedusing a debinding process, which may be via a liquid bath or by heatingthe green part to melt or vaporize the binder. In a sixth step 16, thegreen part 40 is sintered in a furnace, where, at the elevatedtemperature, the metal particles repack, diffuse, and flow into voids,causing a contraction of the overall part. As this sintering step 16continues, adjacent particles eventually fuse together, forming a finalpart, examples of which (reference characters 140, 250, 350, and 400)are shown in FIGS. 24-40. This process causes 10-25% shrinkage of thepart from the green state 40 to its final form 50, and the final parthas a void content that is less than 10% throughout. In someembodiments, the debinding and sintering steps 15, 16 may be conductedin the same furnace. In an optional step 17, before the binder jetprocess 10 begins, optimization software can be used to design a highperformance club head or component in CAD. This step allows themanufacturer to use individual player measurements, club head deliverydata, and impact location in combination with historical player data andmachine learning, artificial intelligence, stochastic analysis, and/orgradient based optimization methods to create a superior club componentor head design.

Though binder jetting is a powder-based process for additivemanufacturing, it differs in key respects from other directed energypowder based systems like DMLS, DMLM, and EBAM. The binder jet process10 provides key efficiency and cost saving improvements over DMLM, DMLS,and EBAM that makes it uniquely suitable for use in golf club componentmanufacturing. For example, binder jetting is more energy efficientbecause it is not performed at extremely elevated temperatures and is amuch less time consuming process, with speeds up to one hundred timesfaster than DMLS. The secondary debinding step 15 and sintering step 16are batch processes which help keep overall cycle times low, and greenparts 40 can be stacked in a binder jet machine 20 in three dimensionsbecause the powder is generally self-supporting during the buildprocess, obviating the requirement for supports or direct connections toa build plate. Therefore, because there is no need to remove beams,members, or ligaments because of length, aspect ratio, or overhang anglerequirements, lattice structures can take any form and have a much widerrange of geometries than are possible when provided by prior artprinting methods.

The binder jet process 10 also allows for printing with differentpowdered materials, including metals and non-metals like plastic. Itworks with standard metal powders common in the metal injection molding(MIM) industry, which has well-established and readily available powdersupply chains in place, so the metal powder used in the binder jetprocess 10 is generally much less expensive than the powders used in theDMLS, DMLM, and EBAM directed energy modalities. The improved designfreedom, lower cost and faster throughput of binder jet makes itsuitable for individually customized club heads, prototypes, and largerscale mass-produced designs for the general public.

Lattice Structures

The binder jet process described above allows for the creation oflattice structures, including those with beams that would otherwiseviolate the standard overhang angle limitation set by DMLM, DMLS, andEBAM. It can also be used to create triply periodic minimal surfaces(TPMS) and non-periodic or non-ordered collections of beams.

Compressing or otherwise reducing the size of cells in a section of thelattice increases the effective density and stiffness in those regions.Conversely, expanding the size of the cells is an effective way tointentionally design in a reduction of effective density and stiffness.Effective density is defined as the density of a unit of volume in whicha fully dense material may be combined with geometrically designed-invoids, which can be filled with air or another material, and/or withanother or other fully dense materials. The unit volume can be definedusing a geometrically functional space, such as the lattice cell shownin FIGS. 22-23 or a three dimensional shape fitted to a typical section,and in particular the volume of a sphere with a diameter that is threeto five times the equivalent diameter of the nearest beam or collectionof beams. The binder jet process allows for the creation of a structurewith a uniform final material density of at least 90%, which contrastswith previous uses of DMLM, DMLS, and EBAM to change the actual materialdensity by purposely creating unstructured porosity in parts.

Examples of lattice structures 60 that can be created using the process10 described above are shown in FIGS. 3-21, and include warped, twisted,distorted, curved, and stretched lattices that can optimize thestructure for any given application. Individual lattice cells 70 areshown in FIGS. 22-23, and may be used in addition to or instead of morecomplex lattice structures 60. FIGS. 5, 6, 9-10, 12, 16, 20 and 21illustrate what the more complicated structures look like when a 40degree overhang limitation is applied: a significant portion of thestructure is lost. Another benefit of not having an overhang anglelimitation is that manufacturers can create less ordered or non-orderedcollections of beams. The lattice structures 60 shown herein may haverepeating cells 70 or cells with gradual and/or continuously changingsize, aspect ratio, skew, and beam diameter. The change rate betweenadjacent cells 70 and beams 80 may be 10%, 25%, 50%, and up to 100%, andthis change pattern may apply to all or only some of the volume occupiedby the lattice structure.

Cell 70 type can change abruptly if different regions of a componentneed different effective material properties, but size, aspect ratio,skew, beam diameter can then change continuously as distance from thecell type boundary increases. The diameter of the beams 80 may beconstant or tapered, and while their cross sections are typicallycircular, they can also be elliptical like the structural membersdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,835,789, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Such structures maytake the form of a series of connected tetrahedral cells 70, as shown inFIGS. 14-15. The lack of an overhang constraint allows for the beams 80to be oriented in any fashion and therefor allows for the generation ofa conformal lattice of virtually any size and shape. Modern meshingsoftware also provide quick and simple method by which to fill volumesand vary the lattice density via non-ordered tetrahedral cells.Tetrahedral cells 70 are also very useful for varying cell size andshape throughout a part.

Lattice Applications in Golf Club Heads

The binder jet process 10 permits manufacturers to take full advantageof generative design and topology optimization results, examples ofwhich are shown in the context of putter heads 100 in FIGS. 24-29, aniron-type golf club head 200 in FIGS. 30-32, driver-type golf club heads300 in FIGS. 33-38, and a face insert 400 with a variable thicknesspattern 410 in FIGS. 39 and 40. The lattice structures 60 disclosedherein can be built into their respective golf club heads in one 3Dprinting step, or may be formed separately from the golf club head andthen permanently affixed to the golf club head at a later time. Thesedesigns illustrate the kinds of improvements to golf club head center ofgravity (CG), moment of inertia (MOI), stress, acoustics (e.g., modalfrequencies), ball speed, launch angle, spin rates, forgiveness, androbustness that can be made when manufacturing constraints are removedvia the use of optimization software and 3D printing.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 23-25.The putter head 100 of this embodiment includes a body 110 with a faceportion 112 and a face recess 113, a top portion 114, and a sole portion116 with a sole recess 117, a face insert 120 disposed within the facerecess 113, and sole weights 130, 135 and a sole insert or puck 140affixed within the sole recess 117 so that the weights 130, 135 aredisposed on heel and toe sides of the puck 140. The body 110 of theputter, and particularly the top portion 114, is formed of a metal alloyhaving a first density and has a body CG. The weights 130, 135 arepreferably located as far as possible from the body CG and are composedof a metal alloy having a second density greater than the first density.While the hosel 118 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23-25 is formedintegrally with the body 110, in other embodiments it may be formedseparately from a different material and attached in a secondary stepduring manufacturing.

The puck 140 is printed using the binder jet process described abovefrom at least one material with a third density that is lower than thefirst and second densities, and comprises one or more lattice structures60 that fill the volume of the sole recess 117, freeing up discretionarymass to be used in high-density weighting at other locations on theputter head 100, preferably at the heel and toe edges and/or the rearedge 115. The materials from which the puck 140 may be printed includeplastic, nylon, polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, andpolyetherketoneketone. These materials can be reinforced with fiberssuch as carbon, fiberglass, Kevlar®, boron, and/orultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, which may be continuous orlong relative to the size of the part or the putter, or very short.

Other putter head 100 embodiments are shown in FIGS. 27-29. In theseembodiments, the weights 130, 135 are threaded and are disposed at therear edge 115 of the body, on either side and mostly behind the puck140. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 27 and 29, the pucks 140 havedifferent lattice patterns 60 than the one shown in FIGS. 24-26, and donot fill the entirety of the sole recess 117. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 28, the puck 140 has another lattice pattern 60 and fills theentirety of the sole recess 117. In any of these embodiments, puck 140may be bonded and/or mechanically fixed to the body 110. The materials,locations, and dimensions may be customized to suit particular players.

In each of these embodiments, the weights 130, 135 preferably are madeof a higher density material than the body 110, though in otherembodiments, they may have an equivalent density or lower density.Moving weight away from the center improves the mass properties of theputter head 100, increasing MOI and locating the CG at a point on theputter head 100 that reduces twist at impact, reduces offline misses,and improves ball speed robustness on mishits.

As shown in the iron club head 200 of FIGS. 30 and 31, the latticestructures 60 of the present invention can be formed into an insert 250that entirely fills a rear cavity 215 of the iron body 210.Alternatively, as shown in the driver-type golf club heads 300 of FIGS.33-38, the lattice insert 350 fills only a portion of the internalcavity 320. For example, in FIGS. 33-35, the lattice insert 350, whichhas a curved upper surface 355, contacts only an interior surface 335 ofthe sole 330 and is spaced from a rear face surface 305 of the body 310.As shown in FIGS. 36-38, the lattice insert 350 extends from the sole330 to the crown insert 360 proximate a channel component 338, and hasat least one curved surface 352.

Excess Powder Removal

The increased design freedom provided by binder jetting allows for thecreation of fully enclosed void volumes with a few, small vent holes forpowder removal, which can later be plugged (if needed) via spot weld,threaded fastener, cap, cover, medallion, adhesive, or other means knownto a person skilled in the art. The absence of metal support structuresallows hollow structures like a typical driver head or fairway wood tobe printed with only small vent holes for powder removal. Removal ofpowder reduces the overall mass of printed golf club head components andimproves their structural integrity.

Each of the designs disclosed herein have a plurality of openings thatpermit removal of excess printing material. Another example of a golfclub component with such holes is shown in FIGS. 39 and 40 withreference to a binder jet printed face insert 400 having a variablethickness pattern 410. This face insert 400 has a plurality of portholes 402 encircling the insert 400 along its outer edge 405, also knownas the weld joint. The port holes 402 extend from the outer edge 405 andconnect with central voids 420 where excess powder 30 is trapped afterthe sintering process is complete. The greater the surface area of thepart, in this case the face insert 400, the greater number of port holes420 are required to efficiently remove the excess powder 30.

Once excess powder 30 is removed from the face insert 400, preferablyvia shaking and polishing steps, the insert 400 can be welded into agolf club head 300 to ensure that the resulting final product does notviolate any USGA rules against open holes. The port holes 402 preferablyare placed in strategic locations on the face insert 400 or other partsof the golf club heads such that they fall within a weld zone, a bondingzone, under a medallion, and/or in a brazing zone. In other words, theport holes 402 are located in a region on the part where a secondaryprocess will cover them up. This allows for the excess powder 30 to beevacuated in the raw state, and then for the port hole 402 to be coveredonce the raw part is made into a golf club head 300.

Entire heads, or head components, can be printed and assembled using themethods disclosed herein from materials such as steel, titanium, carbonfiber composites, and other structural materials. If golf clubcomponents are printed as disclosed herein, they can be attached totraditionally manufactured components via welding, bonding, brazing,soldering, and/or other techniques known in the art. The methods of thepresent invention are applicable to any type of club head, includingputters, wedges, irons, hybrids, fairway woods, and drivers.

From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinentart will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention andwill readily understand that while the present invention has beendescribed in association with a preferred embodiment thereof, and otherembodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous changes,modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which isintended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in thefollowing appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the inventionin which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined inthe following appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A driver-type golf club head comprising: a metal bodycomprising a front wall, a sole, and a front opening in the front wall;a metal face component affixed to the body to close the front opening; acrown insert; a component comprising a channel located in the sole; anda binder jet printed component with a lattice structure, wherein thelattice structure comprises a plurality of geometric cells comprisingvoids, wherein at least one of the voids does not include any material,wherein the lattice structure comprises a uniform final material densityof at least 90%, wherein the lattice structure comprises a plurality ofnon-ordered beams, wherein each of the plurality of beams has a crosssectional shape selected from the group consisting of circular andelliptical, wherein each of the plurality of beams has a diameter thatis selected from the group consisting of constant and tapered, whereinthe lattice structure comprises a region with a characteristic selectedfrom the group consisting of warped, twisted, distorted, curved, andstretched, wherein the binder jet printed component comprises at leastone curved surface extending upwardly from the sole and curvingrearwardly away from the front wall and extending generally above andproximate the channel, and wherein the binder jet printed component isaffixed to the sole and to the crown insert.
 2. The golf club head ofclaim 1, wherein at least 25% of the cells of the plurality of cellshave identical dimensions.
 3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein atleast 25% of the cells of the plurality of cells have a characteristicdifferent from all other cells of the plurality of cells, and whereinthe characteristic is selected from the group consisting of cell size,aspect ratio, skew, and the beam diameter.
 4. The golf club head ofclaim 3, wherein a rate of change of cell characteristics betweenadjacent cells is at least 10%, and wherein the cell characteristics areselected from the group consisting of the cell size, the aspect ratio,and the skew.
 5. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein a rate of changeof beam characteristics between adjacent cells is at least 10%, andwherein the beam characteristics are selected from the group consistingof beam size and the beam diameter.
 6. The golf club head of claim 1,wherein at least one cell of the plurality of cells has a volume that isthree to five times an equivalent diameter of a nearest beam.
 7. Thegolf club head of claim 1, wherein the lattice structure is composed ofa non-metal material selected from the group consisting of plastic,nylon, polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, andpolyetherketoneketone.
 8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein thelattice structure is composed of a metal alloy material selected fromthe group consisting of aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy,and stainless steel.
 9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein theplurality of cells comprises a series of connected tetrahedral cells.10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein a plurality of thetetrahedral cells are non-ordered.
 11. The golf club head of claim 1,wherein the binder jet printed component has an effective density of1-90%.
 12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the binder jet printedcomponent comprises surface-based structures selected from the groupconsisting of Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) and gyroids.